Various forms of apparatus for sharpening blades are disclosed in the U.S. patent art, exemplary of which are Friel U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,965, Andrew et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,709, Rees et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,789, Levine Des. 273,081, and Taylor Des. 297,504. Among the commercially available devices is a so-called GATCO sharpener, which comprises a system for guiding a honing stone over a clamped blade.
Despite the foregoing, a need is believed to exist for blade-sharpening apparatus that is facile to use and of incomplex and relatively inexpensive design and construction, and which is yet highly effective for producing sharp edges on the blades of knives, scissors, and/or other cutting implements.